Offers a thorough introduction to efficiency modeling in agriculture
Incorporates both Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and Stochastic Frontier Analysis (SFA)
Provides a lucid, non-specialist’s approach to sophisticated modeling for agricultural efficiency
Efficiency Measures in the Agricultural Sector opens with detailed descriptions of measurement techniques such as Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and Stochastic Frontier Analysis (SFA), which are often used to support models in analysis of agricultural productivity, based on mathematical programming (non-parametric, non-stochastic) models or econometric (stochastic, parametric) models.
Among the factors studied using these techniques are the abundance of subsidies, strong competition between regions worldwide and the need for efficient production systems. In some countries like Portugal, this sector is being revitalized in face of the need for reducing imports.
The editors draw on a 3-year project that analyzed a Portuguese area in detail, comparing this study with papers from other regions. Applications include the estimation of technical efficiency in agricultural grazing systems (dairy, beef and mixed) and specifically for dairy farms. The conclusions indicate that it is now necessary to help small dairy farms in order to make them more efficient. These results can be compared with the technical efficiency of a sample of Spanish dairy processing firms presented by Magdalena Kapelko and co-authors.

The authors analyze five rounds of
National Sample Survey data covering 1983, 1987/8, 1993/4,
1999/0, and 2004/5 to explore the relationship between rural
diversification and poverty. Poverty in rural India declined
at a modest rate during this period. The authors provide
region-level estimates that illustrate considerable
geographic heterogeneity in this progress. Poverty estimates
correlate well with region-level data on changes in
agricultural wage rates. Agricultural labor remains the
preserve of the uneducated and also to a large extent of the
scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. Although agricultural
labor grew as a share of total economic activity over the
first four rounds, it had fallen back to the levels observed
at the beginning of the survey period by 2004. This
all-India trajectory masks widely varying trends across
states. During this period, the rural non-farm sector grew
modestly, mainly between the last two survey rounds. Regular
non-farm employment remains largely associated with
education levels and social status that are rare among the
poor. However...

Recent trends in Albania suggest that it
has the potential for a modern and competitive agricultural
sector, provided there is sufficient private investment and
the right policy environment. This chapter looks at the role
of agriculture in the economy and the current status of the
sector, and outlines the implications of modernization and
transformation of agriculture for rural areas. It also
identifies trends and sources of growth for agriculture, and
concludes by presenting the key policy challenges for the
sector. The rest of this report analyzes the challenges
facing the agricultural sector and recommends policies for
addressing them. These challenges are analyzed in greater
detail, and more specific policy recommendations are given
in the following chapters, which focus on strengthening
supply chains, improving food safety, and ensuring that
reforms are carried out in compliance with EU legislation.
The final chapter looks at how well public expenditures in
agriculture are managed in order to achieve these policy objectives.

The Tunisia agricultural finance study
was carried out in response to a request made in December
2009 by the Tunisian Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) for
support for a study on the key constraints in agricultural
finance. Technical and financial support was specifically
requested for: (i) a comprehensive diagnostic analysis of
the current mechanisms and problems of financing of the
agricultural sector in Tunisia, including those by financial
institutions and from budget resources, foreign direct
investment, and insurance; (ii) a comparison of the Tunisian
experience with successful experiences made in other
comparable countries; and (iii) the formulation of concrete
proposals. The diagnostic part was also requested to include
the regulations pertaining to agricultural credit, other
constraints impeding the development of agricultural
finance, such as costs, profitability, professional
organizations, extension services, research etc., and to
look at the indebtedness of smallholders. It was also
requested that the recommendations help to: (i) better
define the objectives to be achieved in terms of financing
of agriculture; (ii) increase the participation of the
financial sector in financing agriculture; (iii) help
identify need for support by different types of farmers;
(iv) identify new instruments geared at qualitative and
technological changes; (v) reduce the indebtedness of
farmers; and (vi) help improve the subsidies for
agricultural investment. There are two main written outputs
of the Tunisia agricultural finance study. The experts
working on the study have compiled a great deal of detailed
background information diagnosing the current situation...

‘Japan Inc.’ is manifested in the agricultural sector as a classic subgovernment consisting of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the Liberal Democratic Party, and the agricultural cooperative organisation (Nokyo). This three-way coalition of bureaucratic, party and producer organisations forms an ‘iron triangle’ of vested interest in agricultural support and protection. The agricultural public works component of the agricultural iron triangle is also linked to the larger iron triangle of public works, one of Japan’s most notorious interest coalitions. In the past decade, processes of electoral reform, administrative reform and financial liberalisation have presented each of the elements in the agricultural iron triangle with problems of political and organisational adjustment. At the same time, tripartite policymaking within the agricultural policy subgovernment has been institutionalised, and the LDP’s agricultural leadership is now directly penetrating the agricultural bureaucracy. Similarly, macro-policy trends such as deregulation, trade liberalization and fiscal stimulus have influenced the concessions and benefits flowing to the agricultural and rural sectors both positively and negatively. While a degree of induced marketisation and liberalisation has taken place...

Ghana, like many other African
countries, had made a commitment in 2003 to allocate at
least ten percent of their national budgetary resources to
develop the agricultural sector by 2008, following the
adoption of the Comprehensive African Agriculture
Development Programme (CAADP), with an aim towards realizing
food security and poverty reduction. This Agriculture Public
Expenditure Review (AgPER) for Ghana analyzes data on public
spending from both government and donor sources to assess:
1) the alignment between expenditure patterns within the
agricultural sector and stated policy priorities; and 2) the
effectiveness of public spending by comparing spending
against results. The outputs of the review include a
comprehensive agricultural expenditure assessment to help
provide a solid foundation for carrying out specialized
studies, such as Public Expenditure Tracking Surveys (PETS),
and the establishment of the levels and composition of
public expenditure in the selected subsectors

This policy note examines the policy and
investment framework between 2003 and 2010, resulting sector
performance and the priorities for future development. It
draws attention to the need to refocus on completing the
fundamental reforms and investments on which
Kyrgyzstan's early successes were built. These include
further development of land market, building rural finance
markets, further public investment and institutional
development in the irrigation sector, encouraging greater
private investment in the seeds sector and machinery
services, public-private partnerships for advisory service
provision, completion of ongoing reforms in pasture
management, development of veterinary services and improving
the business environment for private investment in
agro-processing. The policy Note discusses the
government's approach to achieving greater food
security, which centers on food self-sufficiency and
discusses why this is not the best route to raising low
rural incomes - the root cause of food insecurity. The
report discusses some of the policies conceived after the
food price crisis...

This policy note examines the policy and
investment framework between 2003 and 2010, resulting sector
performance and the priorities for future development. It
draws attention to the need to refocus on completing the
fundamental reforms and investments on which
Kyrgyzstan's early successes were built. These include
further development of land market, building rural finance
markets, further public investment and institutional
development in the irrigation sector, encouraging greater
private investment in the seeds sector and machinery
services, public-private partnerships for advisory service
provision, completion of ongoing reforms in pasture
management, development of veterinary services and improving
the business environment for private investment in
agro-processing. The policy Note discusses the
government's approach to achieving greater food
security, which centers on food self-sufficiency and
discusses why this is not the best route to raising low
rural incomes - the root cause of food insecurity. The
report discusses some of the policies conceived after the
food price crisis...

In the past 50 years, Indian agriculture
has undergone a major transformation, from dependence on
food aid to becoming a consistent net food exporter. The
gradual reforms in the agricultural sector (following the
broader macro-reforms of the early 1990s) spurred some
unprecedented innovations and changes in the food sector
driven by private investment. These impressive achievements
must now be viewed in light of the policy and investment
imperatives that lie ahead. Agricultural growth has improved
in recent years (averaging about 3.5 percent since 2004-05),
but at a long-term trend rate of growth of 3 percent,
agriculture has underperformed relative to its potential.
The pockets of post-reform dynamism that have emerged
evidently have not reached a sufficiently large scale to
influence the sector's performance. For the vast
population that still derives a living directly or
indirectly from agriculture, achieving "faster, more
inclusive, and sustainable growth', the objectives at
the heart of the Twelfth five year plan...

Niger, owing to its climatic,
institutional, livelihood, economic, and environmental
context, is one of the most vulnerable countries of the
world. Poverty is pervasive in Niger and it ranks low on
almost all the human development indicators. Agriculture is
the most important sector of Niger's economy and
accounts for over 40 percent of national gross domestic
product (GDP) and is the principle source of livelihood for
over 80 percent of the country's population. The
performance of the agricultural sector, however, due to its
high exposure to risks, is very volatile. Niger has
experienced multiple shocks, largely induced by agricultural
risks over the past 30 years, which impose high welfare cost
in terms of food availability, food affordability, and
malnutrition. It also adversely affects household incomes,
performance of the agricultural sector, the
government's fiscal balance, and the growth rate of
Niger's economy. Niger is a case of living perpetually
with risk, thus more emphasis on long-term structural
solutions...

The report reviews the macroeconomic
perspectives of Uruguay, focused on its rural development
and natural resources intensive sectors, to form the basis
for expanding agricultural production, and increasing
productivity. It reviews the country's sectoral
composition, exports of natural resource intensive products,
and labor and capital use, as well as the tax burden.
Although agriculture represents less than ten percent of the
gross domestic product (GDP) of Uruguay, the combination of
agriculture, and agro-industry makes up twenty three percent
of GDP, of which half of the output is exported, which
represented in 2000, seventy three percent of the
country's total export earnings, with the composition
of exports, significantly diversified. Nonetheless, the
agricultural sector remains vulnerable to both external
shocks, and domestic factors, and, while the
government's ability to ameliorate the impacts of these
shocks is limited, the likely increasing importance of
international trade calls for a long-term approach to
agricultural...

This paper aims to develop a vision
statement for the agricultural sector that may then guide
the future investments in Chile's agricultural
innovation system, A joint and shared perspective on how the
sector might look and what role agricultural innovation
should play in getting there is a prerequisite for any
effective strategy. But developing such a vision is not only
a function of what the country wants: it also depends on the
context in which Chile's agricultural sector will find
itself. This paper therefore reports on a participatory
process to explore the many uncertainties that surround
Chile's agriculture and to derive possible implications
and answers. This will then lead to a vision for the sector
that should be realistic both in terms of Chile's
agricultural ambitions and its surrounding uncertainties.
Based on the vision, a series of topics that needs to be
explored in the agricultural innovation system if Chile
wishes to make its vision come true will be identified and
briefly described. The current paper is the second one in a
series of three that were agreed between the Government of
Chile and the World Bank to support the development of a
long term agricultural innovation strategy. The first paper
reviewed the functioning of the three main public
technological institutes and made recommendations on how
their performance can be improved. This second study
explores the future of Chile's agriculture towards
2030...

Economic growth, job creation, and
development are central to the decade of transformation
(2015-25) and long-term security for the people of
Afghanistan. The Bank and the Government of the Islamic
Republic of Afghanistan (GoIRA) recognize that agriculture
and rural development are a key to inclusive growth, and
hence need renewed vigor and strategic long-term
investments. Further, the Bank and the GoIRA acknowledge
that increases in agricultural productivity and market
access for smallholders are critical for rural development,
job creation, and food security in Afghanistan. Sections two
and three of this report describe the agricultural sector
and its current and potential roles in the Afghan economy,
and present the rationale for choosing certain areas and
subsectors for a selective 'first mover' strategy
to achieve early gains. Section four outlines the
constraints and potential in each of the three value chains
proposed for the selective strategy, irrigated wheat,
intensive livestock production, and horticulture. Section
five describes cross-cutting constraints and how best to
address them...

The overall objective of the
Comprehensive Assessment of the Agricultural Sector (CAAS)
is to provide an evidence base to enable appropriate
strategic policy responses by the Government of Liberia
(GoL) and its development partners in order to maximize the
contribution of the agriculture sector to the
Government's overarching policy objectives. Given the
strong relationship between growth in agricultural
productivity and poverty reduction, future efforts in
Liberia need to focus on productivity enhancing measures
with a pro-poor focus that increase incomes. Growth based on
extensification using traditional technologies is generally
not profitable and has damaging implications for the
environment. Given the low level of assets possessed by most
Liberians, future efforts need to address the question of
access to assets (i.e. land, knowledge and inputs) in
addition to providing opportunities and an enabling
environment. Liberia needs to make concerted efforts to
preserve and consolidate its emerging stability by focusing
on interventions to ensure food security and poverty
alleviation at the community and household levels. Improving
access to food and generating sustainable...

The overall objective of the
Comprehensive Assessment of the Agricultural Sector (CAAS)
is to provide an evidence base to enable appropriate
strategic policy responses by the Government of Liberia
(GoL) and its development partners in order to maximize the
contribution of the agriculture sector to the
Government's overarching policy objectives. Given the
strong relationship between growth in agricultural
productivity and poverty reduction, future efforts in
Liberia need to focus on productivity enhancing measures
with a pro-poor focus that increase incomes. Growth based on
extensification using traditional technologies is generally
not profitable and has damaging implications for the
environment. Given the low level of assets possessed by most
Liberians, future efforts need to address the question of
access to assets (i.e. land, knowledge and inputs) in
addition to providing opportunities and an enabling
environment. Liberia needs to make concerted efforts to
preserve and consolidate its emerging stability by focusing
on interventions to ensure food security and poverty
alleviation at the community and household levels. Improving
access to food and generating sustainable...

The overall objective of the
Comprehensive Assessment of the Agricultural Sector (CAAS)
is to provide an evidence base to enable appropriate
strategic policy responses by the Government of Liberia
(GoL) and its development partners in order to maximize the
contribution of the agriculture sector to the
Government's overarching policy objectives. Given the
strong relationship between growth in agricultural
productivity and poverty reduction, future efforts in
Liberia need to focus on productivity enhancing measures
with a pro-poor focus that increase incomes. Growth based on
extensification using traditional technologies is generally
not profitable and has damaging implications for the
environment. Given the low level of assets possessed by most
Liberians, future efforts need to address the question of
access to assets (i.e. land, knowledge and inputs) in
addition to providing opportunities and an enabling
environment. Liberia needs to make concerted efforts to
preserve and consolidate its emerging stability by focusing
on interventions to ensure food security and poverty
alleviation at the community and household levels. Improving
access to food and generating sustainable...

peer-reviewed; This thesis describes an optical fibre sensor to detect and accurately measure
ammonia gas in the agricultural sector. Increases in ammonia emission especially
from the farming industry have created the need for a sensor that is capable of
measuring ammonia gas in the agricultural environment. The research of this
investigation is validated by measurement in a barn at a cattle farm and in the most
stringent weather condition. The optical fibre sensor system described in this thesis is based on an openpath spectral absorption gas cell addressed by optical fibres. A stainless steel hollow cylinder is used as the absorption cell and two Ultra Violet (circa 220 nm wavelength)optical fibres are used to transmit the light. The construction of the sensor uses robust material and is able to withstand the weather conditions encountered in this environment and is relatively low in cost. An Ultra Violet light source is used to avoid potential cross sensitivity problems with atmospheric gases. The optical sensor system uses a spectrometer as a detector and it is interfaced with a computer hosting data
capture and analysis software. A specially designed in-house program has been
developed using graphical programming software in order to monitor the ammonia
concentration in real time. Following optimisations for better performance...

Starting in the 1970's, the Brazilian agricultural sector has experienced an important process of modernization, whose principal effects include advances in technological progress and gains in productivity. The primary objective of this paper is to analyze technological progress and total productivity growth in the Brazilian agricultural sector during the period from 1970 to 1996. The methodology used here is based on the Malmquist productivity index and techniques in mathematical programming called Data Envelopment Analysis. The results show that significant progress was made in this sector of the economy but concentrated in only some regions of the country.